Kat's Story
by Ms. S. E. Hammond
Summary: Kat is my favorite charater and this is her story!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any character or any of the original stories of Higher Ground. I rate all my stories "R" for the mere reason it gives me more creative freedom. Kat is my favorite character and it upset me greatly that they didn't explore her history and her story more. Therefore, I'll delve into the deeps of her "history", reasons for being at Horizon, and who Kat is and sees herself being in the future.  
  
Part 1-  
  
A white couple adopted her at the young age of 2 years old. Flashes of memory of the orphanage would streak across her mind's eyes from time to time, but she hadn't been there long enough nor was she old enough to have any real cognitive memories that would cause an impairment of her upbringing with her new family. The couple was in their early 30s and they had been trying to years unsuccessfully to have their own child, therefore they decided adoption was the only viable option for them. 2 years of her new life were fantastic and filled with an abundance of attention and love from her parents. Then the crashing announcement came. They sat her down after dinner and before bedtime and together they gently and calmly informed her of her mommy's new bundle of joy that would be arriving soon. As they continued Kat noticed how both of their faces took on an aura of joy that she's never witnessed from them before. For about 6 months Katherine watched with ever growing horror as her mother's belly extended to beyond points in which the little 4 year old was sure was going to cause the woman's body to explode if it continued like it did. A baby girl was born and Kat did not like it at all.  
  
After several months of this interloper stealing her parents' affection away from her; not to mention the nights of endless wailing from this small creature that eventually ceased. It was probably at that point, that little Kat begin to realize that having another child in the house wasn't a bad thing at all. The baby needed a tremendous amount of attention, which meant more freedom and privacy for Katherine. Her mother would have her help take care of her baby sister telling her that she, as the big sister, had the responsibility to watch out for her sister and teach her sister all about the world. Katherine would watch with excitement as even more months would pass that her baby sister could and would learn new things with such enthusiasm. She had practically fell in-love with her sister and she was over joyed to have her sibling moving into her room when it came time for the baby to leave her parents' bedside at nights. Of course, they had the baby monitor but were often surprised when they wouldn't hear the baby making any kind of noise and they'd go in and check on her to find a 5-year- old Katherine peering in at her baby sister from a chair that was placed by the crib. Some mornings they'd even find Katherine asleep awkwardly in the chair and leaning her head against the rails. They deduced that Kat's ever- present face reassured the baby. They even came to a point when they'd lay in bed and listen to Kat either singing to the baby or talking to her.  
  
The years passed smoothly, the sisters were in separable and the best of friends. However, once Kat reached pre-adolescence she began to have the typical attitude and wanted to be around her friends more. Wanted to test the limits, just like any good kid her age should do. She began spending less and less time with her sister. But they'd have their special times together. When Kat was 13 and her sister was 9, it was a typical summer day and they had spent the day together down at the lake. It was getting time for them to get home for dinner and they were on their way back. Katherine was a strong swimmer and had aspirations of joining the swim team when she entered HS, but her baby sister wasn't all that strong and not all that athletic. They'd often had swimming contest, always under strict- eagle eyed-supervision by one or both of their parents. They were crossing the rocky shoreline. When jokingly Kat begin to tease her sister and accepted the challenge (not thinking anything of it) when her sister challenged her to a swimming race. They both took off and Kat took the early lead, like she always had. She was three-quarters of the way to the rock that jolted out of the water and represented the finishing point, when she heard erratic splashing and flailing about. Kat turned to see her sister's blonde hair sink below the surface, like it was all happening in slow motion, and before she could turn around to start making her way back to save her sister, her sister disappeared from sight. Katherine had gotten to the point just shy of where she last saw her sister go down, and she survived the surrounding area. She had screamed for her sister for what seemed like an eternity waiting for to resurface. And when she hadn't resurfaced, Kat dove into the water in search of her sister. She surveyed the area under the water swimming further and further down as she desperately searched. It was getting darker and darker as she went down. It was even getting colder, but Kat didn't feel it, and her lungs were beginning to ache as the oxygen was becoming depleted within her system. She swam back towards the shore again and as she had to finally surface for air that's when she saw her sister's blonde hair floating in the light that shone through the water. Quickly she swam up towards her sister who was unconscious. Grabbing her lifeless body and swimming to the surface, Katherine noticed that her sister wasn't moving and wasn't awake. Not bothering with making sure she got air, Kat surfaced and flipped her sister's face and front to the sky and dragged her, swimming with one arm. Agonizingly getting to the shore, she dragged her sister's lifeless body away from the water. Giving mouth-to-mouth and CPR to her sister at early sunset. It was twilight by the time her folks had arrived looking for them. Kat never once stopped nor took notice of her own exhausting. Her father had to pull Kat off, kicking and screaming. He had called 911 before doing so. By the time, she gave up the fight was when the paramedics arrived on the scene. That was when the reality of the situation sunk in. When they asked her how long she had been trying to save her sister. She sobbed out, weakly and barely audible. "It's too late. She's gone! I've tried for an hour! She's gone!"  
  
TBC: 


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2-  
  
It was a late August Saturday Afternoon; it was oddly overcast, rainy, and cold when they buried her. All her friends and family had shown up and surrounded the mother, father, and grieving adopted older sister with their love and support. Katherine wasn't sleeping, she really wasn't eaten much, and she was very despondent. She couldn't do what her folks were doing, putting forth false bravado. However, they were doing the one thing she wasn't allowing herself to do. To heal, to accept their loss, to become stronger, and above all else they were able to smile and look forward to the future.  
  
Kat held tremendous amount of guilty inside. She had these incredible parents that were they were telling her that they and no one else blamed her. Encouraging her to forgive herself, because everyone else had. They assured her that even her sister was up in the Heaven with God and held no ill well toward her. Yet, Kat felt she didn't deserve anything good in her life, not even Heaven.  
  
Finally, school started and that's when everything begun to spiral out of control. Kat would hang around all the wrong people, she would skip school, she would be purposefully defiant, she'd stay out all night, and she was becoming obeisant to her own parents. That was just the smaller stuff, however. Katherine was dabbling and alcohol and was really becoming close to taken to doing drugs. She had been arrested several times for shoplifting and vandalism. She had been before the same juvenile court judge, several times before. It was just after Halloween and weeks before Thanksgiving, when her parents at their end of their rope. Not knowing what to do. The judge on the 6th consecutive appearance of Katherine's finally, pulled the parents into her chambers with council and Kat, handcuffed, in tow.  
  
"This is your 6th consecutive visit, Katherine, within the last 2-months. With each new appearance your crimes and conduct seem to be increasingly destructive and is drastically sliding down further and down. It's going from minor, petty crimes-to down right adult and serious crimes that can get you thrown into prison for a very long time, if not for life. So far, we've been to understand and see past your misbehavior because of your difficulties dealing with your sister's untimely death and the guilt you feel because of it. However our patience is growing thin and we can no longer look past your spiral into despair. This last time you've gotten arrested for underage intoxication and grand their auto, now luckily you didn't hurt anyone and thank God you didn't hurt yourself either. Because of this seriousness of your downfall that I've been anticipating since your 4th visit with me 2 weeks ago; I've been researching some programs for youth in your particular kind of trouble. Bailiff, please escort the defendant out to wait in the hallway, while I speak with your parents. Council you may, too, leave and either return to the court room or wait out in the hallway with Katherine."  
  
When the bailiff escorted Katherine out, there was this tall white man with a chiseled face and blue eyes. He kept his hair clean cut and he had a warm, friendly smile. His eyes reflected more. Like he knew all about the why she was doing what she was doing, if not the what she had done. There was something else though, they reflected he had a troubled past, too. His clothes were not professional in any means, he was like wilderness man; with his blue jeans, hiking boots, a green knitted tight fitting shirt underneath a bluish-green flannel short that was toped off by an L. L. Bean field jacket. She took her seat on the bench with the bailiff standing right next to her, as she watched this man enter the judge's chambers. And she had this odd feeling that she was going some place that she just wasn't going to like at all.  
  
TBC: 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3-  
  
They must've been in there for an hour and a half; Katherine was getting antsy but the bailiff just stood perfectly content and still right next to her, except when she'd try to stand up-he'd place his right hand on her shoulder and gently push her back down. Finally, the lone woodsman exited the judge's chambers and left without saying a word. That's when the bailiff escorted her back in, with both councils following.  
  
"Katherine. Your parents and I had a long talk with the man that just left and if both councils will agree to it, we will be releasing back into your parents' custody tomorrow morning. At which time, they will take you to a wilderness camp for adolescents like yourself, Katherine. You will be within the camp's personnel jurisdiction until your high school graduation, 18th birthday, or until everyone can agree that you've resolved your problems and you can be a productive member of society again. The man you just saw, his name is Peter and he is the director of Horizon. That's the name of the place you'll be going. We discussed all the drawbacks, benefits, what can be expected, and I believe he predicted within a small margin of error of what he knows what you'll do until you get more adjusted at Horizon. We all agreed that this would be the best thing for you. I'll be checking up on you from time to time, because I feel you are a good kid, Katherine, just had a lot tragedy in her life. The guilt you feel is compelling to do the things that you have done. I expect good and wonderful things from you, Katherine, but I won't hold it against you if you take the time to figure it all out for yourself. I wish you the best of luck and I'll be seeing you again, hopefully for those check-ups that I've mentioned earlier. Bailiff please escort Katherine back to a private holding cell and please treat her beyond the call of duty tonight."  
  
The night went by relatively fast and quietly enough. Her folks had even bought her some dinner in and the bailiff even let them eat together. The night guard had even let her come out to watch whatever she wanted after her folks were escorted out. However, they did have to shut and lock the cell for the night when lights went out. 6am the next morning, a female guard rousted Kat awake and escorted her into the staff locker room and let her take a shower, put on a fresh pair of clothes, and brush her teeth. It was 7am when they exited the locker room, and her parents were walking through the front door themselves. They signed her out and they drove to a nearby fast food restaurant for breakfast to go. They drove for nearly 5 hours, getting lunch on the way too. Finally, driving up a curvy mountain road and pulling into what looked to be a lodge. Friendly enough, Kat thought.  
  
The same guy that was at the courthouse the day before greeted them. Peter. They were giving the five-dollar tour. Katherine had been lead away by a female counselor, who took Kat into a small dank room. It had one small window with a table and 2 chairs. The counselor began and searched everything of Katherine's. Then, she had Kat strip down and did a body cavity search. It was humiliating to say the least, but the counselor did not find anything. However, the woman did not seem too particularly surprised. Then again, why would she be, considering Katherine had been in jail for 2 straight nights and her folks had packed her bags. This experience was beginning to take on an entirely new, different, and not anything Katherine wanted to stick around for. After the search, they exited the room and Katherine noticed a clock and it only been 45 minutes of them being there. They exited the side doors, the phone rang, and the counselor turned around to get someone to answer the phone. That's when Kat saw the woods and she was gone. By the time, the woman turned back around, she saw Kat's back disappearing into the woods. She must've run for an hour, but never stopping. She finally came into the outskirts of the nearby town. She stuck to the shadows, but tried not to look too suspicious neither. She wondered around town for an hour before spotting the bus station. When she walked through the doors and was making her way to the ticket counter, that's when a firm hand landed on her shoulder. Turning around she recognized the smiling face instantly, it was Peter.  
  
"You broke some records today, something to be proud of. Almost all our newest arrivals make a run for it. A good 98% of them do. However, no one has taken off in 45 minutes, like you have which is 2 times faster than any other had tried before. You made to town in less than an hour, it usually takes the others' about 3 to 5 hours. And you found the bus station, which no other has yet to accomplish. I think you've some basic skills and instincts, which just need to be horned and refined. You'll make a fine addition to my program." Peter said smiling down at her and escorting her out to his motorcycle. Tossing her a helmet. "I hope you like to ride!" Smiling she put the helmet on while climbing onto the back of the bike and causally saying "I feel the need, the need for speed!" Peter couldn't help but chuckle as he climbed onto the bike himself and finishing strapping his own helmet on. He kicked the kickstand back and started the bike and was off in spit of gravel.  
  
TBC: 


End file.
